


Spring Break with the Blakes

by Hpmagic



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:49:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hpmagic/pseuds/Hpmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Clarke Griffin agrees to spend spring break with Octavia Blake and her brother, she's not exactly looking forward to it.  It seemed like a better idea then spending the week alone in her dorm room and Octavia was very insistent that road trips are good for the soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spring Break with the Blakes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nerdygirlygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdygirlygirl/gifts).



Clarke lay still on her dorm bed with her eyes wide open staring blankly at the ceiling above her. She listened to Octavia flitting around the room, digging things out from under her bed and throwing them haphazardly at the duffel bag sitting in the middle of the room. Once again she contemplated telling Octavia that she didn’t want to go, but Clarke already knew exactly what her friend would say. Clarke, it’s spring break, you can’t spend the whole week alone in your dorm and they both knew going home wasn’t an option. She’d rather spend all of break alone and miserable in her dorm room, than at home, fighting with her mother. Ever since her father had died, her home felt cold and lifeless. Without her father to mediate, all she and her mother did was disagree, and fight about every little thing. She secretly suspected Octavia had been planning on inviting her along for weeks now, but waited until the day before in the hopes that Clarke wouldn’t have the time to get cold feet and back out. She sighed heavily, there was no way out now.

“Hey you, no moping. This is gonna be fun,” Octavia said, her voice muffled. Clarke picked up her head and saw only the soles of Octavia’s feet sticking out, the rest of her friend was tucked deep under the bed. 

“I’m not moping,” Clarke began, sitting up. She swung her legs over the side and let them dangle close to Octavia’s. 

“Good you better not be, this is gonna be good for you, road trips—“

“Are good for the soul, yeah yeah,” Clarke poked at the heel of Octavia’s foot and laughed as it suddenly disappeared further under the bed. 

“You’d better watch yourself Griffin, before I come up there and—“ Octavia’s threat was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. 

“Are you in there O?” came a deep voice from the other side. 

There was a thump under the bed accompanied by a loud, “Shit!” The handle of the doorknob jiggled, but the door remained closed. Clarke slid off the bed.

“I’ll get it Tav,” she said as she picked her way across the covered floor.

“Wait! Clarke—“ but her hand was already on the handle. The door swung open and Clarke was greeted by the sight of a very attractive man with deeply tanned skin and a smattering of freckles across his face.

“Who the hell are you?” the man said immediately. 

“Uhhh—“ Clarke turned around to look at Octavia who was frantically pushing herself up off the floor, “I’m—“

“My friend Clarke, remember Bell,” Octavia said loudly, pushing past her. Octavia flashed Clarke an apologetic look before pulling the door closed, leaving Clarke in the room alone. 

Clarke was thoroughly confused by the exchange that had just taken place. She recognized the guy who had just shown up as Bellamy, Octavia’s older brother, from the picture on Octavia’s wall. Clarke could hear that a conversation was going on in heated whispers on the other side of the door, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. After a few minutes, the whispering stopped. 

“Fine,” she heard Bellamy say flatly, at normal volume. She took that to mean the conversation was over and quickly tried to make it seem like she wasn’t totally and utterly confused. 

“Sorry about that,” Octavia said, “my darling brother forgot I had told him you were coming and was just being a grump.” Clarke saw Bellamy roll his eyes, but she quickly looked away as his attention turned towards her. 

“Uh, yeah, sorry about that,” he said to her, sticking out his hand, “I’m Bellamy, Octavia’s darling older brother.” Bellamy shot a look at Octavia, and Clarke had the distinct feeling that she was going to feel out of place for much of the week. 

“Clarke Griffin,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand.

“Right,” he said raising the corner of his mouth, “the Princess.”

“Don’t say that, I did not call her that,” Octavia said, swatting at her brothers arm. “I did not call you that,” she said to Clarke. It was only then, that Bellamy let go of her hand, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. 

“So O, should I come back in an hour when you’re done packing or a few days or . . .” Bellamy said gesturing the mostly empty duffle bag.

“What? No, I’m literally two seconds away from being done,” Octavia said waving her hand. 

“Well then, in that case, the car’s out front,” Bellamy said. 

“Perfect, you can help Clarke bring her stuff out. I’ll meet you guys out there,” Octavia said without batting an eye.

“Great,” Bellamy turned his attention to Clarke, “What do you need me to take?”  
“Oh, um,” Clarke looked over to Octavia’s bed where her things lay, “Just take whatever I guess.” 

“Get my pillow,” Octavia said, as Clarke slung her backpack over one shoulder and her travel bag over the other. 

“I can take one of those,” Bellamy offered, and took the travel bag. He picked up the pile of blankets and Octavia’s pillow as well. “Pack fast O,” Bellamy called over his shoulder as he headed out of the room. 

* * *

Clarke tossed her backpack onto the backseat of Bellamy’s SUV and climbed in after it.  
“You could’ve sat in the front you know,” Bellamy said studying her in the rearview mirror. “Seating is first come first serve.”

“More leg room back here,” Clarke said with a shrug. 

“Suit yourself,” Bellamy said, busying himself with the radio. Clarke settled into her seat, reaching into her backpack to pull out her headphones.

Octavia showed up after only a few minutes, a huge grin on her face as she threw her duffle bag into the trunk. 

“You could’ve sat in the front Clarke,” Octavia remarked, turning around in her seat, “seating is first come first serve.” Clarke shrugged her shoulders. Octavia pursed her lips, but didn’t say any more. “I missed you big brother,” Octavia said, reaching over to give Bellamy a tight hug. 

“I saw you like last week or something,” Bellamy said, but Clarke saw that he hugged her back just as tightly.

“Who’s ready for spring break!” Octavia shouted as soon as she pulled back. She took the sunglass off the dashboard, sticking her tongue out at Bellamy when he gave her a look. “You snooze you lose.” Bellamy chuckled lightly and mussed up her hair before starting the car.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” he said as he turned around to back the car out of the parking space. Bellamy caught Clarke’s eye as he turned back to the front, offering her small a lopsided smile. 

Hopefully Octavia was right, and this trip would be good for her. 

* * *

After a few hours in the car, they had lapsed into silence. Bellamy was humming along quietly to the radio, Octavia was flipping idly through a magazine, and Clarke was watching the scenery blur past. 

“I have to pee,” Octavia said suddenly.

“O, we’ve only been in the car for a couple hours,” Bellamy groaned.

“I didn’t have to time to go before we left, because someone was rushing me,” Octavia nudged her brother’s arm.

“Can’t you wait until we stop for dinner or something,” Bellamy said pushing back. 

“That’ll be like a million hours,” Octavia huffed. 

“I’m driving so I’m in charge,” Bellamy shot back.

“Fine, I’ll just pee on the seat,” Octavia said moodily. Bellamy muttered something under his breath that Clarke couldn’t hear, but she noticed that he seemed to be glancing at the road signs more consistently than before. 

Clarke wondered idly if this is what it was always like in the Blake household. A constant stream of bickering without any heat. It was a far cry from the constant yelling she had become accustomed to in her household. When it came to conversations between her and her mom, they were nothing but heat.

When they got to the exit for the rest stop, Bellamy pulled off the road without a fuss, and Octavia hopped out of the car with a quick be back soon. Bellamy reached for the volume knob, and to Clarke’s surprise, turned the volume down all the way. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned his body around in the seat to look directly at her. Clarke became increasingly confused when Bellamy didn’t say anything. 

“Can I help you with something?” she sighed at last, when it became clear he wasn’t going to turn back around. 

He studied her critically as though considering what he would say next, this particular act struck Clarke as strange since he was the one to initiate the conversation. She stared back expectantly, refusing to break his gaze. He glanced away slightly before starting to talk.

“Why are you here?” 

Clarke stared for a moment and then let out a stunned laugh, “I guess your attitude earlier wasn't just a fluke?” Her tone wasn’t angry, just confused. “I’m here because Octavia invited me.” Although a week at home with her mother, filled with nothing but brooding silence, loaded sighs, and unbearable small talk was beginning to sound more appealing. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said gruffly, reaching up to scratch his shoulder. “It’s just— this is sort of a— family — tradition… thing… I’m just wondering why she did,” he finished lamely. Clarke thought he looked sort of uncomfortable, which was just fine with her. He deserved it since he was being such an asshole. 

“Couldn’t tell you, you’ll have to take it up with her,” Clarke said. She glanced towards the rest stop, grateful when she saw a flash of Octavia’s hair. Bellamy seemed to see the same because he quickly turned around and reached for the volume knob. Clarke reached for the pillow on the seat next to her and stuffed it between her head and the window, hoping the ball of lead in the pit of her stomach would loosen up a bit after some rest. 

* * *

The first thing Clarke noticed was the pain in her neck, shortly followed by absence of the radio. She figured she must’ve been asleep for a while because there was a stale taste in her mouth. She was about to shift position when she heard Octavia sigh heavily. 

“Things at home are really bad Bell. Her mom is— it’s hard for her. She was devastated Bell,” Octavia said quietly, “The thought of letting her go home, or letting her stay in the dorm all by herself… I couldn’t do that. I’ve never seen her like this.”

“Yeah, well, is that really saying much? You barely know her,” Bellamy muttered.  
“Bell, it’s not that hard to see if you know what you're looking for.” There were a few moments of silence, and then Octavia added, “Plus, never underestimate the power of freshman bonding.” Her tone was more upbeat, Clarke figured the change was due to a nonverbal exchange between the siblings. 

“Sometimes I wonder why these things happen, you know?”

“I don’t know big bro,” Octavia said slowly. There was a stretch of silence durning which the crick in Clarke’ s neck was becoming more painful as the seconds ticked by, but Clarke didn’t dare move. How do I make it seem like I wasn’t eavesdropping on them? Clarke thought. How do people even wake up naturally? This is stupid, they were the ones talking about me, I shouldn't feel weird she told herself. Swallowing loudly, she began to stir, in what she hoped was a totally natural and non suspicious way. She sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. 

“Finally Clarke, you've been asleep for a century,” Octavia said switching gears, pushing herself out of her seat slightly to turn around and look at Clarke. “I’ve had to rely on this one,” she gestured to her brother, “for entertainment.”

“Sit down O,” Bellamy said

“Eyes on the road,” Octavia said, batting an arm in his direction. 

“Fine but if we get in an accident and you get decapitated, that’s on you,” Bellamy said. Octavia rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Clarke. 

“I get carsick sometimes. If I’m asleep I feel less sick,” Clarke offered as explanation. She saw Bellamy’s eyes settle on her briefly in the rearview mirror. 

“You’re not gonna throw up all over the back seat are you?”

“Ew, Bell,” Octavia said, “way to focus on the important part.”

“No, I’m not going to ruin your car,” Clarke said, shifting uncomfortably. “I just get a headache and feel really queasy.”

“Later we can switch seats if you want,” Octavia offered, “that is if Bell doesn’t make us pee in a bottles for the rest of eternity.” 

“Because that would create less of a mess,” Bellamy said. “It’ll be time for dinner soon anyway, you can switch then,” he directed the last part to Clarke.

“Thanks,” she said quietly. 

“No problem,” he respond just as quietly. Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to Octavia, “O, find a diner ahead of us. And don’t wait until we’re one second away from the exit to tell me I’m supposed to be getting off.” 

* * *

From then on, Bellamy seemed to loosen up a bit. His attitude seemed to have evaporated, and Clark found him surprisingly easy to get along with. Even after Octavia fell asleep in the back seat, a few hours after leaving the diner, Clarke was content to sit in a comfortable silence.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Bellamy said quietly. It was so quiet that Clarke didn’t catch it at first. She thought Bellamy was just singing along quietly to the radio. “I’m sorry about earlier,” he said again, this time a little louder. 

“Oh, it’s okay I guess,” she said fidgeting with her hands in her lap. 

“It’s not okay,” Bellamy said seriously. She turned to look at him, but was surprised to see that he already has his eyes on her. He moved his head quickly to look back at the road. 

“I should’ve known that if I had invited you, there must be a reason. I was just being a jerk. This is a rough time of year for me,” he trailed off, glancing back at her. “I’m sorry about your dad. And your mom. And—shitty things happening in general,” he swallowed thickly. “And for making it worse.” His eyes were fixed on the road now, his hands planted firmly on the wheel. 

“Thanks, but you don't have to apologize for every shitty thing that’s ever happened. Not everything is your fault,” Clarke sighed. “Only some things,” she added with a small smile. She was pleased to see he had loosened his grip on the steering wheel. “So, what’s the reason for this trip anyway?” Clarke said conversationally. 

Bellamy laughed lightly, “O didn’t tell you?”

“I didn’t ask,” Clarke said simply, “She made a pretty convincing argument, and she didn’t really leave me much time for questions.”

“We’re uh, going to visit where O and I grew up,” Bellamy let his hand drop to his leg. “It’s where our mom is—not buried but, there’s a park that she really liked that had this little cemetery attached. She really liked it there for some reason.” He was fiddling with the wrappers in the cupholder and Clarke felt the urge to reach out and grab his hand. “When she died, there weren’t any plots open, but, it’s still nice to go there. Just to remember her.” 

“I don’t even know where my dad is buried,” Clarke said. “I think it’s some giant fancy cemetery I’d never even seen until my dad died. My mom said it’s a really prestigious place or some crap like that. But it’s huge and I could probably never find him even if I wanted to. It’s just,” she drew a shaky breath. “It’s so impersonal, and meaningless you know.”

“We can share,” Bellamy said, and this time Clarke did reach out and grab his hand. It was warmer and softer than she expected. Bellamy smiled softly. They sat in silence again.  
Occasionally Bellamy would need his hand to drive, but when he was done with it, he'd reach for her hand again. 

* * *

“I guess Tav was right,” Clarke said, trying to make out the shape of the trees as they whipped by in the dark. 

“About what?”

“She said this trip would be good for me, and I think it she was right,”

“Better not let O know, it’ll go straight to her head,” Bellamy said,

“I’ll have you know I’m extremely humble,” came a voice from the back. 

“Told you,” Bellamy said with an eye roll. 

Clarke smiled, she was glad Octavia was was right. Going on this trip had definitely been the right call, and she was really looking forward to spending the rest of her spring break with the Blake’s.


End file.
